Melodeoisr



UNITED STATES PATENT FFFJF.

WM. C. VHIPPLE AND NVM. C. BOWE, OF WESTVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

MELODEON.

Speecaton of Letters Patent No. 13,021, dated June 5, 1855.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, lllrnnnur C. Fifi-11rrLE and VILLIAM C. Bown, bothof Testville, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Melodeons; and we do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description ofthe construction, character, and operation ot the same, reference beinghad tol the accompanying drawings, which make a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l, is a perspective view of themelodeon. Fig. 2, is a perspective view of the same, inverted, showingthe posit-ions of the two sets ot' levers for playing the additionaloctave. Fig. 3, is a perspective view of one pair of the levers, showingthe manner of connecting them.

Our improvement consists in so connecting two sets of levers, (in thewind chest,) with the keys that the octave above will be sounded at thesame time, (if desired,) or, by reversing the arrangement of the levers,the oct-ave below may be sounded.

We make the melodeon in the usual way, and, in the wind chest, under thereeds, we it two sets of levers, as` represented in Fig. 2, (one pair ofwhich is represented in Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale, showing theirconnection, and support.) Ve attach one set of these levers to aswinging bar, A, Fig. 2, (which swings on fulcra, or joint pins, a and(a) by cutting diagonal slots in the side of the har, and letting in thecentral parts of the levers as seen at o, b, &c., Fig. 2, and securethem with fulcra, or joint pins, as shown at c, Fig. 3, in such a mannerthat they may work perfectly free. 1We attach the other set of thelevers (Z, CZ, &c., to a permanent bar e, e, in similar diagonal slots,but out oblique in the opposite direction from those in the bar, A (sothat the eXtreme ends of each pair of levers will reach to the eX- tentof an octave,) and we secure these levers, also, by fulcrum pins, asseen at Fig. 3. lVe connect the contiguous ends of the two sets oflevers, (that is each pair,) by a free, but infleX, loop, as shown atf/, Figs. 2 and 3, so that the motion of the lever, c, will becommunicated to the lever, (Z, causing their eXtreme ends to move at alltimes, in the same direction, to open or close the valves. The extremeend of each of the levers, c, (when the arrangement is used,) rests on apitman which passes through the valve, as shown at h, Fig. 3, (whichpitman, 7L, is connected with, and is worked by, the ordinary pitman onwhich the key presses,) and this pitman, L, is adjusted by a screw, asseen at 7L, Fig. 3, to the eXact length required. And we connect theegitreme end of each of the levers, cl, with loops attached to the endsof the valves, as shown at B, Figs. 2 and 3.

Having thus constructed all the parts, and arranged them in the mannershown in Fig. 2, the instrument will be ready for use, when by pressingdown any one of the keys, as, C, Fig. l, the pitman, z, Fig. 8, willforce down the eXtreme end of the lever, c, (in the direction indicatedby the dart,) raise the contiguous ends of c, and (Z, at g, and thusopen the valve at B, which is under the key C, Fig. l, so as to soundthe reed which is an octave above the one under the key C, which isdepressed; so that the depression of any one of the keys will produceits proper tone and also its octave; thereby giving the instrument thesame power as if made with two sets of reeds. And by reversing thearrangement of the levers the octave below may be played in the same'manner. And, if thought best in any case, the octave below may be playedwith the lower half of the key board, and the octave above, with theupper half, by varying the arrangement of the levers, as abovedescribed. And the swinging bar, A, may be cut in two in the middle, andeach part supported there by a puppet head, so that one part of thekeyboard may he played with the octave while the other is played withoutit.

When it is not desired to play the octave, the knob D, Fig. l, may bebrought forward to the position shown in Fig. l, which, by the action ofan ordinary lever to change stops, the bar, or hand, z', will be movedback from the har A, when by its own weight, (or by a spring,) it willfall back and remove the eXtreme end of the lever, c, from the pitman,7L, so that the operation of the keys will not affect the levers, c, andd, when the operation will be the same as a common melodeon. But anyother form may be used for moving the swinging bar, A, as by a pedal, orotherwise. And if the swinging bar, A, be made in two parts, toaccommodate each part of the key board,

there must be a knob, ordinary lever, and

yhand, c', at each end of the case, or two The use of two sets oflevers, located in the Wind chest, under the valves, and so Connected asto enable us to play any desired 15 note and its octave, When the Wholeis constructed, arranged, and made to operate, substantially, as hereindescribed.

WM. C. WI-IIPPLE. WM. C. BOl/VE.

Witnesses S. THOMPSON, R. FITZGERALD.

